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Yard-O-Led Value - New Prices


aurore

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As a big fan of Y-o-L and a proud owner of Viceroy Grand I occasionally visit their website... Well, seems they raised up the prices.
A standard model is 890 pounds, grand model is 1200 pounds (plain or barley finish, Victorian is 100/50 pounds more), both included VAT.
https://www.yard-o-led.com/category/pens?product_filter%5BCollection%5D%5B%5D=0&product_filter%5BFinish%5D%5B%5D=0&product_filter%5BType%5D%5B%5D=4

Do you think it worths? I am as far as I can be from claiming it does not. On the other hand I just noticed through years many could not justify the cost even when the grand model used to cost 600 pounds. Suum cuique of course.

I would summarize the positive and negatives (in my humble opinion):

positives:

1) the pen is full sterling silver without rhodium plating (a nice solid material I like and can be polished with a special cloth quite easily),
2) it is well engineered overall - the ergonomics, the balance, the construction, nib/feed/collar friction fit,
3) nibs are excellent, quite rigid but not really nails, they have got some give and are very smooth,
4) feeds are generous, these pens are juicy writers but not overly wet, even with rather dry inks they work well,
5) the pens and the nibs in particular go through the best QC you can imagine (I know this for sure),
6) a lifetime warranty,
7) among all those fancy plastic pens (whatever the plastic/hard rubber is called or is coated with) these pens look and feel like a real thing.

negatives:

1) the cost :),
2) these very polished nibs are sometimes not the best perfomers on coated papers (depends on the ink used though)

So what are your thoughts?

Edited by aurore

Seeking a Parker Duofold Centennial cap top medallion/cover/decal.
My Mosaic Black Centennial MK2 lost it (used to have silver color decal).

Preferably MK2. MK3 or MK1 is also OK as long as it fits.  
Preferably EU.

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I bought VG barley pattern for less than a third of the contemporary price including postage in 2015. It is a great pen.

"Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword, obviously never encountered automatic weapons." – General D. MacArthur

 

 

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” – W. Churchill

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There're more and more high-quality pens available at affordable prices. Their marketing strategy seems to be to differentiate themselves from the rest. Sailor KOP is basically a very fat version of 1911 standard which you can get for $100 from Japan but people still buy it. At least Pilot has the decency of covering the 845 with Urushi so it's not just a blown up version of 91. When Sailor paints urushi over their pens the price suddenly triples...But again people still like them. I think high-end pens have become way too expensive.

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I wince a bit at the current prices, as they do seem very high. I was given a Viceroy Standard, Victorian pattern as my 20 year long service award where I work three years ago, and they have since gone up by £200. I would not buy a new one myself at the moment, even though I'd love to get a Viceroy Standard, Barleycorn pattern.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

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Thanks everyone for the inputs!

 

I bought VG barley pattern for less than a third of the contemporary price including postage in 2015. It is a great pen.

 

This was a great price and definitely well below a fair value :)

 

 

There're more and more high-quality pens available at affordable prices. Their marketing strategy seems to be to differentiate themselves from the rest. Sailor KOP is basically a very fat version of 1911 standard which you can get for $100 from Japan but people still buy it. At least Pilot has the decency of covering the 845 with Urushi so it's not just a blown up version of 91. When Sailor paints urushi over their pens the price suddenly triples...But again people still like them. I think high-end pens have become way too expensive.

 

You're speaking from my heart. While $100 Sailor pens (just as $80 Pilot 74) are excellent value writers, the companies do not bother much upgrading their more expensive pens, despite this they are very popular. Honestly, at least they could skip the ugly seams in plastic as for their more expensive models...
Indeed the whole pricing has become a bit unreasonable.

 

I wince a bit at the current prices, as they do seem very high. I was given a Viceroy Standard, Victorian pattern as my 20 year long service award where I work three years ago, and they have since gone up by £200. I would not buy a new one myself at the moment, even though I'd love to get a Viceroy Standard, Barleycorn pattern.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

Very much agreed.

Edited by aurore

Seeking a Parker Duofold Centennial cap top medallion/cover/decal.
My Mosaic Black Centennial MK2 lost it (used to have silver color decal).

Preferably MK2. MK3 or MK1 is also OK as long as it fits.  
Preferably EU.

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At £1,200 new, you can pretty much buy whichever non-LE pen you want from almost any brand. It's a beautiful pen and well deserves a place in anyone's collection, but I can only think of buying it used now with this new price level. By the way, does anyone know which converter will fit into the Grand version, if I don't have the YOL proprietary converter? Thanks.

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At £1,200 new, you can pretty much buy whichever non-LE pen you want from almost any brand. It's a beautiful pen and well deserves a place in anyone's collection, but I can only think of buying it used now with this new price level. By the way, does anyone know which converter will fit into the Grand version, if I don't have the YOL proprietary converter? Thanks.

 

Used YoL do not appear very often for sale (I got mine used nevertheless).

 

The YoL convertor is a standard international one made by Schmidt (with a fancy upper metal part added). A OEM Schmidt will fit (thewritingdesk and few others sell them) or any brand Schmidt makes them for - such as GvFC, CdA, Pelikan or any of the others. I prefer filling long Pelikan cartridges though.

Edited by aurore

Seeking a Parker Duofold Centennial cap top medallion/cover/decal.
My Mosaic Black Centennial MK2 lost it (used to have silver color decal).

Preferably MK2. MK3 or MK1 is also OK as long as it fits.  
Preferably EU.

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Used YoL do not appear very often for sale (I got mine used nevertheless).

 

The YoL convertor is a standard international one made by Schmidt (with a fancy upper metal part added). A OEM Schmidt will fit (thewritingdesk and few others sell them) or any brand Schmidt makes them for - such as GvFC, CdA, Pelikan or any of the others. I prefer filling long Pelikan cartridges though.

 

Thank you, aurore. Very helpful.

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Great pens, although those prices do put them in the very highest echelons. Do they belong there? Probably.

 

I can't get over the fact that I bought my three YoLs for half that, though I suspect that they were then a bit of a relative bargain...

Too many pens; too little writing.

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At £1,200 new, you can pretty much buy whichever non-LE pen you want from almost any brand. It's a beautiful pen and well deserves a place in anyone's collection, but I can only think of buying it used now with this new price level. By the way, does anyone know which converter will fit into the Grand version, if I don't have the YOL proprietary converter? Thanks.

 

https://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/pens/converters-pen-spares/monteverde-converter-clear.html

 

https://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/pens/converters-pen-spares/schmidt-k5-converter.html

 

https://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/pens/converters-pen-spares/pelikan-piston-converter.html

Engineer :

Someone who does precision guesswork based on unreliable data provided by those of questionable knowledge.

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IMO, the Viceroy Grand Victorian FP is the quintessential Y-o-L. Nothing else like it.

 

The barley design is available in other brands too albeit without the silver.

Engineer :

Someone who does precision guesswork based on unreliable data provided by those of questionable knowledge.

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IMO, the Viceroy Grand Victorian FP is the quintessential Y-o-L. Nothing else like it.

 

The barley design is available in other brands too albeit without the silver.

Well, perhaps... Nevertheless some people love Y-o-L barley and some like it plain. I believe for fans of Y-o-L it is always a combination of the material we like, a nice shape and feel in hand, a solid weight, very good nibs and a passion for perfection. And sure the finish plays a big role - for some a crucial role, for some a supporting one.

Seeking a Parker Duofold Centennial cap top medallion/cover/decal.
My Mosaic Black Centennial MK2 lost it (used to have silver color decal).

Preferably MK2. MK3 or MK1 is also OK as long as it fits.  
Preferably EU.

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Schmidt K5 is your best choice, it is exactly the same as others but cheaper.
https://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/pens/converters-pen-spares/schmidt-k5-converter.html

Eventually even Schmidt K2 would fit, it is very cheap.
https://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/pens/converters-pen-spares/schmidt-k2-converter.html

 

Nevertheless refilling long Pelikan cartridges would provide you a double capacity comparing to these converters.

Seeking a Parker Duofold Centennial cap top medallion/cover/decal.
My Mosaic Black Centennial MK2 lost it (used to have silver color decal).

Preferably MK2. MK3 or MK1 is also OK as long as it fits.  
Preferably EU.

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Nevertheless refilling long Pelikan cartridges would provide you a double capacity comparing to these converters.

 

Waterman long cartridges are an option too.

 

As for capacity, I think the stated difference is optimistic/inaccurate.

Engineer :

Someone who does precision guesswork based on unreliable data provided by those of questionable knowledge.

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Well, perhaps... Nevertheless some people love Y-o-L barley and some like it plain. I believe for fans of Y-o-L it is always a combination of the material we like, a nice shape and feel in hand, a solid weight, very good nibs and a passion for perfection. And sure the finish plays a big role - for some a crucial role, for some a supporting one.

 

IMO, it is the finish and material because at that price it is a statement pen.

Talking of statement, you wouldn't immediately associate Barley with Y-o-L but the Victorian can only be Y-o-L.

 

The nib is a standard Bock, nothing special. Available in F, M, B.

Edited by 1nkulus

Engineer :

Someone who does precision guesswork based on unreliable data provided by those of questionable knowledge.

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Waterman long cartridges are an option too.

 

As for capacity, I think the stated difference is optimistic/inaccurate.

Maybe not quite accurate but not all that significantly. Pelikan cartridges take over 1ml (1.1-1.2ml), the Schmidt converter takes about 0.6-0.7ml. Perhaps not significant enough for you but I am grateful even for such difference.

Seeking a Parker Duofold Centennial cap top medallion/cover/decal.
My Mosaic Black Centennial MK2 lost it (used to have silver color decal).

Preferably MK2. MK3 or MK1 is also OK as long as it fits.  
Preferably EU.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

IMO, it is the finish and material because at that price it is a statement pen.

Talking of statement, you wouldn't immediately associate Barley with Y-o-L but the Victorian can only be Y-o-L.

 

The nib is a standard Bock, nothing special. Available in F, M, B.

Maybe. Personally I like the discontinued (in case of Grand) plain finish just as much as Victorian. Suum cuique.

Well, no, the nibs are not Bock but JoWo and always pass the best QC via a superb nibmeister, which is not a standard in the industry.

Edited by aurore

Seeking a Parker Duofold Centennial cap top medallion/cover/decal.
My Mosaic Black Centennial MK2 lost it (used to have silver color decal).

Preferably MK2. MK3 or MK1 is also OK as long as it fits.  
Preferably EU.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe not quite accurate but not all that significantly. Pelikan cartridges take over 1ml (1.1-1.2ml), the Schmidt converter takes about 0.6-0.7ml. Perhaps not significant enough for you but I am grateful even for such difference.

 

I was under the impression the converters held 0.9ml but, yes, the difference is significant if your values are accurate.

Engineer :

Someone who does precision guesswork based on unreliable data provided by those of questionable knowledge.

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